Mar 12 //
Becca Roberts[embed]223522:43028[/embed]
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings: Enhanced Edition (Xbox 360 [previewed], PC) Developer: CD Projekt Red Publisher: Namco Bandai Released: April 17, 2012
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition is almost exactly the same as the gritty and immersive release for the PC, with a few new additions to make the game even more exciting. For those of you unfamiliar with the story, you once again play as the fiercely handsome Geralt of Rivia. He is a Witcher and a badass assassin. After a case of mistaken identity, he starts the game by re-telling the story to an interrogator.
He begins telling his tale by, quite conveniently, waking up next to Triss Merigold and yes, her boobs still look great in the Xbox 360 version! After the initial action storytelling segment, you wake up in a dark and dingy prison cell. Your task from there is to escape past the guards and crazy, swearing prisoners (seriously the voice acting in this part alone is amazing). It is then your task to clear your name and restore order within the kingdom.
The main thing with the Enhanced Edition of course is the difference between the PC one. From release, the Xbox 360 version will include all previous updates of The Witcher 2 including the 2.0 patch. The interface has been upgraded to fit the console, so this will affect things like the camera, targeting system, and controls, making it more fluid and feeling less like a straight PC game port.
When it comes to content, lead artist Mark Ziemak made it clear that they did not want to sacrifice or remove anything from the PC version, so they took their time to ensure the Xbox 360 version was as polished as it could be. The only sacrifices they had to make fell to the lower resolution and textures required to make this game work on the lesser powerful console. Despite this, they really have made the game look great, and took full advantage of the wide range of colourful and stunning scenery the game has to offer.
As with all good console RPGs, there is usually an impressive opening cinematic sequence to mesmerize the player and CD Projekt Red have gone all out on the new cinematics for the start of the game. They hired BAFTA winner and Academy Award nominee Tomasz Baginski to provide the all-new three and a half minute pre-rendered cinematic. It's a nice new addition to the game and gives it a definite finishing touch. Baginski has also worked to provide new animations and cut-scenes throughout the course of the game to add an extra sense of background to the story.
In addition to the sparkly new cutscenes and pre-rendered cinematics, there are also four extra hours of gameplay to sink your teeth into including two major adventures, new characters and new locations. They're a combination of ideas from the studio after the final development of the PC version and ideas from fans.
One new quest in particular features the new character Dame Brigida Papebrock, who is a bit of a saucy lady. After seducing some of the most powerful men in Temeria, she has learned some dark secrets, making her a prime target in the whole mess of things. This quest in particular is set within the third act of the story, and provides some interesting backstory to certain events within the complex narrative. And don't worry PC players, all this new content will be made accessible to the PC version for free in an upcoming patch.
Bringing the hardcore element back to RPGs, CD Projekt Red has worked hard to bridge the gap between PC and console with The Witcher 2 by manipulating the controls and gameplay to have a more natural fit with the Xbox 360. They hope to entice even the most casual gamer into giving this tactical, pure-blooded RPG a try. Its mature content and deeply intricate, fantasy-driven storyline make it the perfect RPG to sink into.

So it's finally almost here. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings: Enhanced Edition was released exclusively for the PC last year and, despite a few anomalies, received high review scores from both critics and users, as well as ...

The new SSX game focuses on adrenaline-fueled action and jumping from helicopters. So to demonstrate this, EA Sports decided to gather a few unknowing volunteers and throw them off the top of Battersea Power Statio...

Oh hey there! It's that time again for some wonderful European magic. We have a full cast this week (yay) and after rambling on about games and stuff, we talk a little more about the current situation with UK retailer GAME. W...

Feb 21 //
Becca Roberts
SSX (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 [previewed]) Developer: EA Canada Publisher: EA Sports Release: February 28, 2012 (NA) / March 2, 2012 (EU)
As a modern reinvention of the SSX series, the focus is on survival in adrenaline-fueled events. The key is to make it through player-versus-the-elements gameplay.
Location is everything in SSX and the sense of realism is really apparent in these new places. By using topographical satellite data from NASA, EA Canada has been able to build a Google Earth-like map that displays the nine different mountain ranges that are available to explore. The aim was to recreate iconic locations like the Himalayas, Antarctica, and the Alps while still keeping a true SSX feel to the gameplay, so the game's mountains aren't exactly GPS-accurate.
So the mountains are semi-realistic, but how about the actual gameplay? Well, any snowboarder will know that there is certainly more than one way down a mountain. While previous SSX games allowed a certain degree of off-piste freedom, there was always an inevitable invisible wall standing in your way. Those pesky walls have been removed as much as possible, allowing unrestricted gameplay in which you decide where to ride. And if you see a branch or a makeshift kicker, you will more than likely be able to do some sick tricks off it. This feature gives a more diverse, open-world feel to the game, as the player is given a greater degree of freedom in deciding which path to take. Obviously the main way is down, but how you get there is up to you!
The new gritty style of gameplay comes into focus right from the start of the race. Instead of slowly pushing off from behind a gate, the majority of races in the new SSX begin with a jump out of a helicopter to arrive on the piste at speed. It's a fast-paced action event right from the very beginning. The “Tricky” meter is back, allowing you to build up your boost by pulling off a variety of different freestyle moves and tricks. When the meter is full, fans will be pleased to hear the fun new remix of the Run-D.M.C. song that has become such a big part of the series.
The all-new survival element is perhaps one of the most different additions, challenging the player to survive some seriously deadly descents. You will have to face terrifying avalanches, white-outs, darkness, freezing temperatures, and gravity, which requires the awesome wingsuit to help you glide from rock to rock as you choose your path down to safety. These modes add a new challenge to the game and also require fast, skilled action -- especially when dodging through trees and fallen branches, or choosing the best part of the mountain to ride down while under pressure.
The lovable team of riders is back again, as selected by fans of the series, and some new characters are thrown in there too. The ones that made the cut are Elise, Zoe, Kaori, Psymon, Mac, Moby, and the more recently announced Eddie. They’ve all been given a bit of a facelift and have moved away from some of their crazier outfit choices (basically, less nakedness) to more conventional snowboarding gear, which helps to add a more serious tone to the game. As you progress through the game, their gear can be tweaked and upgraded to better suit the conditions of some of the tougher mountain ranges.
Another interesting feature is RiderNet, inspired by the Autolog from the Need For Speed series. It runs alongside you during play and keeps track of your progress. You will be able to see your friends’ times, high scores, different drop positions throughout the race and much more. Having successfully worked in the NFS games, this will add another level of competition to the game, which kinda sucks for me as I was hoping to get some work done in March.
With new features added and nothing taken away from the fun and challenging experience that previous SSX titles have provided, this game looks all set to be a fantastic release full of individuality and experimentation. You really can choose your own path; you've just got to hope it's the right one!

It’s been a long time in the making, but the time has almost come for EA Sports to grace us with another title in arguably the most successful snowboarding series out there. SSX is known for its addictive arcade-style g...

Today is the dreaded love day (or Mass Effect 3 demo day, as put by Ali D). So My Valentines gift to you all is the chance to win one of three copies of Final Fantasy XIII-2 on either Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. It came out at...

It’s a well-known fact within gaming communities that videogames regularly have amazing soundtracks. Their emotional structure leads to overwhelming feelings of enjoyment, tension, fear and excitement, but they are stil...

To mark the release of SoulcCalibur V, Gymbox at Westfield in London are holding special swordsman workout classes throughout February. I teamed up with Namco Bandai to try out a class and it got pretty sweaty!
The cla...

Sup Dtoid homies! Me and my jolly bunch of crazy Europeans are back again for some more madness, criticism and some form of videogame chat. After our weekly roundup we move on to talk about some of the current big topics in t...

It's not too late to do a 2011 recap right? Well it is still January, so myself and the BritToid team decided to look back before we move forward into 2012. We picked a whole bunch of categories to discuss and believe me, the...

With the PlayStation Vita arriving in Europe next month, the guys at PlayStation Access are on tour with "Vita Rooms", bringing the handheld to various locations around the UK. Starting in Manchester last night, they will be ...

Dec 13 //
Becca Roberts
Anthill: Tactical Trail Defense (iPhone [Reviewed], iPod Touch, iPad -- universal app)Developer: Image & FormPublisher: Image & FormReleased: November 16, 2011MSRP: $0.99
Anthill: Tactical Trail Defense is a simplistic strategy game that builds upon the concept of line drawing -- think of games like Flight Control (the line-drawing airport one). You get four different types of little ants to serve and protect the Anthill: Workers, Soldiers, Spitters, and Bombers. The Soldiers are sent out along a line to fight off any attacking insects by biting their faces off. The workers can then come along and clean up the mess. Food that they bring home can then be used to spawn more troops, which is vital for when things get a bit mental. Extra support is provided by Bombers that work by touch-targeting as well as by Spitters that move along the given line, firing ant goo.
The levels consist of waves of attacks with increasing difficulty. Enemies include standard Enemy Ants, Shooterbugs, Shield Bugs, and bosses like the massive Superbeetles. At the end of each level, points are turned into stars that can then be used to purchase upgrades for each of the four ant types. It's worth mentioning that there's an option to purchase more stars and upgrade your troops faster, but this is not really needed and seems quite unnecessary.
The new and improved 2.0 version offers the "Infinity" mode. You start with all four types of ants and just keep going until your Anthill is crushed by invading insects, or you can possibly go on forever depending on your will and determination. This additional mode helps to extend the replay value of the game, as the three sets of campaigns can be completed in a couple of hours or less. The developers at Image & Form have also said that more levels are yet to be released. Hopefully they will involve something different like more challenging enemies or different types of ants to change up the repetitive nature of the campaign system.
The game looks really great and the music is a nice calming mix of jungle sounds and marimba chords. However, when things really get going and you have a full-on battle to deal with, the mix of different insects and ant trails can become quite confusing. There is always the option of sending your Bombers out to clear the way, though, as your own troops are immune to their goo. Convenient, right?
Anthill: Tactical Trail Defense provides strategic challenges through a variety of different levels. Looking past minor problems in the difficulty -- the levels don't provide as much of a challenge as they probably could -- it's impressive how addictive this game can become. The additional Infinity mode pushes the limits of challenge, and it's here where this game shines.

It’s a bug-eat-bug world out there and victory tastes like... dead insect carcasses.
This iOS game is an energetic combination of strategy defense and resource management. Unlike many mobile games that have been released recently, it will keep you entertained and addicted for a while, making the most out of your dollar.

Well hello there wonderful Destructoid people. It's that time again... BritToid episode 21 is here!
After doing our weekly game round-up, we recap the happenings from last week's Namco vs Capcom fight club, which was also cov...

It’s that wonderful time of year again when we eat too much and feel all merry, but who can forget the presents? That’s right, the ever more difficult task of buying gifts for your nerdy friends and family has bee...

Well hello there fine men and women of Destructoid, I am very pleased to announce episode 20 of BritToid is now available! How exciting!
As always we begin by rounding up what we have enjoyed playing this week, which is actua...

Last week the people at Ubisoft and Namco Bandai put on a special evening to welcome the newest addition to the Soulcalibur V line up: Ezio Auditore da Firenze. I had a little look around the event and found a few peop...

Hello and good day Lords and Ladies, I am pleased to announce the latest episode of BritToid! We have said our goodbyes to Miss Hollie Bennett and I have now been welcomed into the world of crazy. This episode begins with a q...

On Saturday, December 3rd at the Namco Station in London, Capcom and Namco are teaming up for an extra special UK Christmas Fight Club, featuring an extra special guest: producer of the Tekken series, Harada-san!!
He will be there throughout the day to watch over the glorious fighting not only from some of the best in the UK but from you guys as well, if you think you can handle it that is...

What were you doing ten years ago? Playing the first Halo game? Well this year marks the 10th anniversary of the Halo series! As one of the most successful franchises for Xbox and Xbox 360, the Halo universe has developed through six games, various comics, novel releases and an anime series.
So to mark this 10th anniversary, Titan Books have released Halo: The Art of Building Worlds.

From October 28-30 (this weekend) the MCM Expo in London will be taking place. Held twice a year at the Excel centre in the Docklands, this event is usually a huge mass of cosplayers, anime and some content from games.
Howeve...